Shenker last year revealed the story of the boat, originally crammed with 72 sub-Saharan African migrants, which set sail from the shores of Tripoli bound for the Italian island of Lampedusa – only to wash back up on the north African coastline 15 days later with barely anyone left alive.

The news award jury said that the piece "tells one of the great untold stories – the plight of migrants".

"It was well-researched and well presented, with chilling and authentic voices," they added.

The jury described the story as "investigative journalism at its best," Storr travelled to Uganda with Christian Aid to report on the Refugee Law Project, which deals with the issue of sexual attacks on men who fled from the conflict across the border.

The awards, which are in their 24th year and aim to reward the most outstanding media coverage of the developing world, were presented on Tuesday at Kings Place in London by the Channel 4 News anchor, Jon Snow.

Felicity Lawrence, a special correspondent for The Guardian, was one of two nominees for the journalist of the year award, which was won by Jamal Osman, a Somali-born journalist working for Channel 4.

Lawrence has recently reported from Europe, Africa and the Americas in a series of investigations which, the award jury said, showed "how corporate power, tax justice, labour rights and environmental degradation connect the western consumer with the lives of the world's poorest".

There were also nominations in the press category for Mark Townsend, the Observer's home affairs editor, and Declan Walsh, the Guardian's correspondent for Pakistan and Afghanistan from 2004 to 2011.